Ike and Buck were still sitting on the front steps of the bunkhouse when an enraged Mitchell approached them. "You!" he yelled at Ike. "You have a nerve to touch my daughter!" Before Buck could ask what was going on, Mitchell lunged at Ike and threw him to the ground, punching him with the force of his adrenalin charged body. Buck tried to pull Mitchell off Ike, and received a punch in the mouth for this troubles. Alerted by the commotion, the other men came out to see what was going on. One of the men restrained Buck from interferring further.
Finally it was over. Ike was nearly unconscious, having been unable to mount a decent defence. Mitchell turned and started punching Buck for good measure, when McLeary, his foreman stopped him. "What is it, Boss?" he asked.
"They defiled my daughter," Mitchell said, catching his breath.
McLeary hesitated over that bit of startling news, long enough for Mitchell to start in on Buck again. While he was reluctant to stop Mitchell from his punishment and vengeance, as he had every right; McCleary knew of a better way to handle it. "Hey, Boss."
"What is it, McLeary?" Mitchell asked, ducking as Buck fought back.
"I know a better way of dealin' with them." McLeary nodded to two of the men, and they held Buck, preventing him from punching. "We take them into Bent's Fort. The law can handle them." Mitchell looked unconvinced, so McCleary went on. "The half-breed will get a hangin' for sure."
For a while it looked like Mitchell was not going for it. Then an evil glint came into his eye, and a slow smile spread across his craggy features as he thought of Buck hanging. "Okay, let's do it."
One of the men went into the bunkhouse for some rope while three others forcibly held Buck down to be tied. After tying Ike up for good measure, they tossed Buck and Ike into the back of a wagon, and with McLeary riding as guard, Mitchell drove them into Bent's Fort.
The commanding officer was away, but Liuetenant Baker was standing in for him. "What have we here, Mr. Mitchell?" the lieutenant asked, as Mitchell and McLeary dragged Buck and a now conscious Ike in.
"These two men defiled and beat my daughter Lietenant," Mitchell announced, adding the beating to make it sound worse. He could prove the beating, anyway. "I want them arrested and punished to the full extent for the law."
"Steady on, Mr. Mitchell, you know we aren't exactly a territory in the union. There's not a whole lot I can do."
"Are you sayin' you're refusin' to punish them?"
"No, I'm just sayin' there's not a lot I can do. I'll tell you what. I'll hold them here until the Captain gets back. He can then decide what to do, whether we can do anything."
"He'd better get back here mighty quick, or, by golly, I'll hang them myself!"
Lieutenant Baker sighed. "Lock 'em up, Sargeant." As the sargeant shoved Buck and Ike into a cell, Baker nodded toward Mitchell and McLeary, who left without a word.
Lydia sat on her bed and looked out the window for a long time after her father had left her. Although she was in pain, she hardly noticed it. All she could think about was Ike. She knew her father would punish him—there was no doubt about that. Firing him would be just too easy. But what would he do? Would he shoot him? Possible, but Lydia hadn't heard any gunshots. so she supposed that was out. What else? Beating? More than likely. If Mitchell had no qualms about beating his own daughter, she could imagine what he would do to Ike.
As soon as she heard her father go to bed with Wendy, she quietly slipped out of her room, ignoring her pain. She just had to know what had happened. Gently taking her Father's Colt from it's holster, she went down to the bunkhouse.
The foreman, McLeary, was standing on the porch. "What are you doin' here, Miss Lydia?" He saw the gun in her hand nd, in light of Mitchell's story, assumed that she was here to kill Ike and Buck. "You don't need to worry about those two boys. Mr. Mitchell took them into Bent's fort. They'll more then likely hang before the week's out."
NO! "They?" Lydia said weakly, confused.
"The half-breed and his friend."
It was worse than Lydia thought. Carefully, she brought the Colt up and levelled it at McLeary. "Saddle Querida."
"Now, Miss Lydia, let's not be too hasty..."
Lydia cocked the gun. "Now, McCleary." She was deadly serious.
Gulping, McLeary complied, intending to grab her from behind as she tried to mount the mare. He never got the chance. As soon as Querida was saddled, Lydia hit McCleary on the back of the head with the Colt, making sure that he would not follow and try to stop her.
"You have got to let these men go free, Lieutenant!"
Upon arriving at the Fort, Lydia asked where prisoners were kept. A startled corporal answered her. When she made her way to the stockade, the corporal tried to stop her but she was too determined. She barged right in, startling Lieutenant Baker, and waking Ike and Buck.
Even through her bruises, Baker recognised her. "Miss Mitchell, I'm not gonna let these men go just so you can exact restitution. That's for the Captain to decide."
"You don't understand, Lieutenant. They didn't do anything!"
It was plain the Lieutenant Baker didn't believe her. As she tried to convince him, Ike watched her, horrified at the extent of bruises on her. She had mentioned once to him that Mitchell used to beat her if she disobeyed him, but he did not believe that even Mitchell was capable of inflicting that much pain and cruelty on his own daughter.
"Now, Miss Mitchell, can you really expect me to believe that your father punished you and them because you struck up a relationship with young McSwain here? You should know how inappropriate that is."
"Yes, Lieutenant I do how that it is inappropriate, but we couldn't help how we feel, and I have proof." Lydia pulled the locket out from where she was wearing it under her blouse and opened it for Lieutenant Baker to see Ike's picture. "When Papa found this, he went absolutely mad. And Buck Cross had nothin' to do with any of this. Papa never liked him beacuse he's half-Indian. Now do you believe me?"
"I must admit, this is mighty persuasive. Just one more thing. Are you absolutely certain that there men did not take any advantage of you whatsoever?"
"Yes, Lieutenant. If you'd like, I'll have the doctor examine me to show you." Lydia flushed in embarrassment at the thought of this, but if it would free Ike and Buck, she'd do just about anything. "Please, I wouldn't lie about somethin' like this."
Baker thought about it for a long moment. Finally he took the keys from the drawer and opened the cell. "You're both free to go. I advise that you get out of here, fast."
As soon as he was out of the cell, Ike took Lydia into his arms. "I'm so sorry, for all of this," Lydia whispered in his ear.
Ike drew back. <<It's not your fault>>
"Come on," Buck said. "Let's just get out of here."
"Wait," Baker said, as Ike took Lydia's hand to lead her out. "I don't think it's such a good idea for Miss Mitchell to go along. Her father will not rest lookin' for her."
Buck Ike and Lydia looked at each other. "He's right," Buck pointed out, finally.
Ike gave Lydia a long searching look, unconvinced that she would be all right if he left her to Mitchell's mercies. "Don't worry about me, Ike." Lydia said with forced cheerfulness. "Papa can't do much more to me. The main thing is that you two are safe."
Ike leaned in and kissed her long and hard. <<I love you>>
"I love you too, Ike." She watched with saddness as they slipped out the door and out of her life, promising to write.
Spending the night in the fort, Lydia set off home the following morning. Her father met her half-way, promising to tan her hide. He set men out looking for Ike and Buck, but as Buck knew how to track, he also knew how to cover them, so they were never found.
As soon as Lydia had recovered from her bruises, Mitchell, true to his word, sent her to a Ladies College in Baltimore, Maryland. He did not forward any letters Ike and Buck sent to her. The was no contact between the lovers. Lydia wrote sporadically, but as she did not know where to send the letters, there was no reply.
After six months of trying, Ike gave up trying to reach Lydia. He and Buck joined the Pony Express, and were stationed in Sweetwater, Nebraska Territory. And the rest, as they say, is history.
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